Touch of class keeps title bid on track.

LIVERPOOL brought a touch of Europe to Tyneside yesterday to score a deserved victory at St James' Park.

Goals at either end of the game - one from John Arne Riise, the other a superb individual effort from Danny Murphy - bookended a professional performance which, while productive to Liverpool's Premiership title pursuit, was most certainly honed in the style of the Champions League.

A resolute defensive display allied to swift counter-attacking formed the basis for this win, their first in the Geordie heartland since Michael Owen's hat-trick clinched a 4-1 win in August 1998.

Newcastle had already scored 18 goals at home this season and in such free-scoring form the visitors required a rock-solid rearguard. And with Sami Hyypia outstanding, the Reds back four delivered.

"We couldn't get a sniff," admitted Newcastle boss Bobby Robson. "No matter what we did, we just couldn't get around their defence."

Of course, there was no Owen yesterday and also absent was Jari Litmanen, the Reds' matchwinner of the previous two games dropping down to the bench.

Instead, Robbie Fowler returned to the starting line-up for the first time since boss Gerard Houllier had publicly questioned his striker's fitness and application since the start of the season.

Fowler, who could be in line to replace Michael Owen in the England side, responded with a pledge to roll up his sleeves and work hard to improve himself, and he was as good as his word, producing a committed display which yielded an assist and so very nearly a first Premiership goal of the season.

There are still question marks over his confidence - one weak right-footed effort in the second half would have most likely nestled into the back of the net by Fowler of old - but the signs were encouraging.

Encouraging too were the displays of Danny Murphy and Jamie Carragher. Rarely in the limelight, Murphy capped an impressive display with a fine goal while Carragher, despite picking up a harsh booking, drove Newcastle's dangerous winger Laurent Robert to discouragement.

With both Arsenal and Manchester United winning the previous day, Houllier's side knew a victory was imperative if they were to keep pace at the top of the table following their indiscretions early in the season.

And the Reds, showing four changes from the side which defeated Dynamo Kiev in midweek, could not have asked for a better start when they went ahead inside three minutes - a goal which owed as much to a mistake by Newcastle's Rob Lee as Riise's opportunism.

Defending on the edge of his own area, Lee left a pass to Andy Griffin woefully short. Riise nipped in to take the loose ball immediately and, after taking one touch to steady himself, lashed a rising drive into the roof of Shay Given's net. Startled at their poor start, Newcastle produced a period of concerted pressure but the best the home side could fashion was a tame Craig Bellamy header at Jerzy Dudek from eight yards out after Alan Shearer had dummied Robert's cross.

In fact, the Reds should have doubled their advantage on 20 minutes. A lightning counter-attack, sparked by a great pass from Gary McAllister out to Riise on the left flank, led to the Norwegian playing Robbie Fowler through on goal but Given was off his line quickly to smother the effort.

McAllister then volleyed narrowly wide from 25 yards after Fowler's intelligent lay-off and Liverpool were in reasonable control of the game, the midfield - shorn of the injured Dietmar Hamann and suspended Steven Gerrard - breaking up home attacks and Carragher keeping Robert at bay.

The nearest Newcastle came to restoring parity was on 27 minutes. Liverpool conceded a succession of free-kicks around the area, and from one such set-piece, Andy O'Brien headed wastefully wide after finding himself unmarked from Nolberto Solano's delivery.

The home side's most obvious threat came from the ball over the top, hoping to capitalise on the pace of Bellamy against Stephane Henchoz. It was a ploy they used with increasing regularity before the break with little reward.

And only the flag of the assistant referee prevented Liverpool from doubling their lead moments after the interval.

Heskey took advantage of yet more dithering in the Newcastle defence and played in Fowler, who finished clinically only to have his goal chalked off for offside. It was a close call, but ultimately the correct one.

Clearly made aware by Houllier at half-time that the win was there for the taking, Liverpool started the second half in determined fashion and Newcastle were thankful for Heskey's poor control after another astute McAllister pass had sent the striker clear.

With McAllister and Murphy in the starting line-up the Reds' midfield had more of a creative edge than in recent weeks.

Liverpool were pouring forward at every opportunity as the game took on the blistering end-to-end pace so often associated with these fixtures, and the hard-working Murphy was next to come close, skipping past Robbie Elliott down the right wing before firing across the face of goal with no team-mate on hand to convert.

Liverpool had taken almost total control and should have been out of sight as United's bid to make the Reds rue their profligacy led to a few nervous moments in the visitors' rearguard.

Elliott headed straight at Dudek, but with the home side stretched in their search for an equaliser, Liverpool were given the time and space to counter as the home side increased the pressure.

in down the left, and the Welsh international shrugged off the challenge of Henchoz before firing in a low cross which beat Dudek but not Hyypia, who was on hand to clear.

However, with Liverpool cutting off the supply to the increasingly exposed Shearer and Bellamy, that was as good as it got for Newcastle and four minutes from time the Reds sealed the points thanks to a fine individual goal from Murphy.

Picking the ball up inside his own half, the midfielder sprinted forward, exchanged passes with Fowler and homed in on goal before clipping the ball past Given.

Since the double setback against Bolton and Aston Villa, Liverpool have gone six games unbeaten, scoring three successive league wins and manoeuvring themselves into a strong position to qualify for the second stages of the Champions League.

And with the likes of Owen, Gerrard, Hamann, Markus Babbel, Patrik Berger and Vladimir Smicer to return, Houllier's side now have the opportunity to ensure that poor start remains a blip rather than an omen.